


Princess

by noblecrescent



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Short One Shot, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25418593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblecrescent/pseuds/noblecrescent
Summary: Steve asks his new friend to help his best friend Bucky deal through all the memories Hydra has left behind in his head. It's just that Bucky doesn't see how she's going to be able to do that...
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note** : Hi! Hello! This is just a simple one-shot of an OC I'm currently working on. This is technically the first time I write anything for Marvel so we'll see how this goes. I plan to weave this OC into a real story later on to be paired with Bucky but for now, I just really had this little thing stuck in my head so I thought I might as well do something productive with it! It also features the other OC I'm writing for as well, paired with...well, you'll see ;).

The only real warnings here are a totally confused Bucky and a slightly annoyed Steve :)).

* * *

"I don't want to," Chloe Winters said plain and flatly when she heard the 'grand' idea her friends Steve and Seren had come up with.

Seren wasn't all that surprised by the answer, but she felt for Steve who was hoping more than anything that Chloe would be able to help them out.

"Chloe, please," he started again. "Bucky really needs your help. I need your help. He's my friend, my _best friend_ -" he gave Chloe a pointed look, reminding her she was in the same situation with Seren, "-and he could really use some of that Chloe peacefulness."

Chloe decided to nitpick what she had heard. "That's what we're calling it? _Chloe peacefulness?_ I know we can come up with a better name than that."

" _Chloe_ ," Seren scolded. This was no time to play games nor be sarcastic, two things Chloe loved doing.

"It's what you made me feel when I first met you," Steve reminded her. God knows he was a mess in his early days after waking up in the modern world. Seren had brought in her friend, Chloe Winters, promising him that Chloe had some special abilities that would help him ease his conflicted mind. Being from the 40s, he wasn't so sure that people actually had super powers besides the serum that he had taken. But then came along Chloe who politely told him that she could indeed open his mind. She had told him that a part of her powers helped people feel like they had talked about everything bothering them without her actually listening to those words. He would basically be able to feel like he was talking about everything bothering him, all his deepest secrets and thoughts, but Chloe wouldn't be able to actually hear them, much less see the memories. Though skeptic about it, Steve had consented to the idea and saw Chloe a few times per week to help him divulge those feelings. Each time they were done, he really did feel like a wave of peacefulness had washed over him. And when he felt confident enough, he was finally able to speak those secrets and deep thoughts out loud.

He really felt like it was what Bucky needed right now. After years, and _years_ , of god knows what Hydra put him up to, he needed that peacefulness. He just had to convince Chloe that he was no longer a threat. "He won't hurt you," he had just began to say when Chloe cut him off.

"Oh, I know that," she surprised him with. "He's not that messed up anymore but the reason I say 'no' is not for me...it's for him." She was met with the same puzzled faces from Steve and Seren. "He did a _lot_ of stuff that I'm sure he wants none of us to know about. What makes you think he'll be comfortable letting me into his mind? Not to mention be real close to another person?" Steve admitted that those were some very good questions she was making and unfortunately she wasn't done. "He hasn't had real, _consenting_ human contact since he fell off that train. I don't want to partake in anything that can trigger him." Chloe reached for Steve's head with her index fingers and thumbs to remind him what exactly she was supposed to do to make that 'peacefulness' happen. "You think he'll be okay with this?"

"He's been around us for a few weeks now…" Steve said, but the manner in which he had reasoned sounded more like he was going through the facts to see if he was really making the right call here.

Yes, Bucky had been around him and Seren, Chloe and the rest of the team but if he was being honest, no there hadn't been a lot of mutual contact. He was taking things slow, understandably, but it seemed like he was stuck (also understandably). It was why Steve decided to talk to Chloe in the first place. He didn't want Bucky to be stuck in that way. He needed to heal, he had a right to.

"I think that if it's just you, he'll be fine," Steve said after a long moment of thinking. He met Chloe's doubtful eyes and firmly nodded. "You can help him like you helped me."

"Difference being your mind wasn't warped…"

"Chloe," went Seren again, sighing. "Be sensitive here."

"I am," Chloe assured her with a roll of her eyes that didn't leave Seren so convinced. "Steve, if you're that sure, I guess I can try."

Steve was truly grateful when he left Chloe to go find his best friend and tell him about his idea. Seren was...unsure how this would go, but she trusted Chloe enough to be serious when the moment called for it and this moment _screamed_ for it.

"Scared?" Chloe shot her a smirk when she assumed what Seren was thinking.

"A bit…"

"It won't last long," Chloe said, sounding a bit too certain for Seren's liking.

"Why?"

"Because I give Bucky one week before he tells me to get lost," Chloe shrugged, her smirk turning into a laugh.

Once again, Seren sighed. " _Chloe_!"

~0~

She was a _princess_.

She was the typical woman he used to date back in the old days.

Perfect tresses of blonde curls, shiny emerald eyes, and she even had the damn rosy tinge on her cheeks. _Typical_. She was a sharp dresser, never once did he see her in something casual (in his short time knowing her of course). Personality wise...she was hardly serious, always making a remark about everything, and she had a smirk that rarely left her face. She was an expert at making the signature 'adorable' faces complete with the untouchable pout, and a general lack of attention - she was hardly the candidate to help him heal.

 _'What is Steve thinking?'_ was the question that kept running through Bucky's head. That was the problem - he probably _wasn't_ thinking. For all Bucky knew, Steve could've been persuaded by the redhead with dimples to give Chloe a chance. He noticed that was a pattern between her and Steve - she showed those dimples and Steve would do whatever she wanted, and he didn't even notice it! But who was he to say something about that? Steve wasn't the one who murdered countless people, Steve hadn't destroyed so many lives...no, that was _him_. He had to believe that there was _something_ Steve saw in Chloe that could help him because right now, Bucky saw nothing. But right now he had no right to do nor say anything so he would let things go and see where they went.

The first day had him waiting for Chloe in one of the training rooms of the compound. He was nervous, yes he really was, and even more so when she finally arrived. With a clearing of her throat, she approached him and started explaining what would be happening. Unknowingly, he gave the same reaction as Steve had when he first heard what Chloe could do.

"You can _really_ do that?"

"Yup," she nodded. "But I'm warning you, I need to touch you." She put her own fingers to her temple to show him exactly what it would be like. "Is that alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asked a bit too quickly, proving her point from before.

"Because the last time somebody touched you, it was to electrify you," she smiled sarcastically, only realizing later on that this would be a moment in which Seren would scold her for being too insensitive. "You want to go for it?"

"Just like that?"

"I don't see any point in delaying it. Unless you're not...?" Chloe quickly raised her hands in front of her, sending the message that she wouldn't hold it against him if he decided not to do this.

"No, let's do it." Truthfully, Bucky still had his doubts with her but he supposed he really did lose anything if he gave this a try. He motioned Chloe to show him how to start.

With a nod, she led him towards the only chairs in the room. She grabbed one for herself and waited for Bucky to do the same. He sat down and waited for her to give him the next instructions. A part of Chloe wondered if this was just something he was so used to that he did it without realizing. She scooted her chair closer to his then raised her hands to show him she would be touching him.

It did, admittedly, make Bucky slightly nervous. Or perhaps he was on edge. His mind was that scrambled he wasn't sure which one it was. His eyes were locked on Chloe's reaching fingers. Even before they reached him, he could see the perfectly styled nails. They were painted in a bright purple.

He flinched when her fingers touched his temples. Chloe said nothing about it. She was watching him cautiously, searching for any sign that he would push her away. He didn't.

"Just relax," she instructed him and it was such a _novelty_ hearing those words. There would be no shocks, no torture, just a supposed peacefulness.

He sniffed. "What's that smell?"

Chloe arched an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"There's a smell like..."

"It's hair perfume. It's called Argan Oil of Morocco and I'd be glad to send it over since you said 'no' to the haircut."

Bucky leaned away from her on instinct. "Sorry, was that not to your liking?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "I don't care. What I care about is that you _don't_ move anymore!"

With a light huff, Bucky resumed his position close to her. Once more she reached forwards and placed her fingers over his temples.

"I need you to lean closer," she said.

"More?"

"Yes! I told you this would be-"

"I don't need the lectures, just do it."

"Would it kill you to be a little nicer?" The look on Bucky's face told Chloe she had made a _very_ poor choice of words. "Okay, that was my bad. Just...closer!"

Bucky didn't know how much closer they could get. Their legs were awkwardly around each other's in an attempt to give more room. The real answer came to him when Chloe pressed her forehead to his. She had closed her eyes; whether to avoid the awkwardness or because it was part of this insane process, he didn't know. What he did know was that whatever 'hair perfume' (whatever the hell that even was) she had on was really strong. It did smell nice, though.

"Focus," he flinched when Chloe spoke again. Things had gone dead silent around them that even when she had whispered to him, it was loud.

"On what?" He tried to whisper at the volume that their silence asked for.

"Whatever you want. You have the freedom now, you get to decide what you want to share." Chloe hoped that these words truly meant something for him. Freedom was something he hadn't had in a long, long time. "And remember, I won't actually hear nor see anything."

"Really?"

"I promise."

Though reluctant, Bucky agreed to try it. He would start with something small - if he could find something like that - just to test the waters. He closed his eyes and thought about something completely away from Hydra. It was a simple childhood memory that every child had: he'd fallen and gotten a scrape on his knee. "Did you see that?" He asked after a few minutes. He opened one eye to see Chloe smiling with her eyes still shut.

"No," she said like she had already explained it...and she had. "What was it?"

"Nothing," Bucky smiled for the first time when she made a noise of offence.

"Well fine, move onto the real stuff."

"Fine," he mimicked her tone and closed his eyes seconds before she opened hers to narrow them on him. The next time he really did focus on the things that were most prominent in his mind. He never realized how time passed by because each memory took a _while_. Chloe said nothing about the time; it was frankly the most silent she had been since he met her.

To his mighty surprise, when they finished he really did feel that peacefulness Steve promised would happen. It was the first time in a very long time that he could say he was relaxed. He wasn't sure how long it would last but he was just happy that it happened. He was _happy_. That was new.

"Thanks," he said quietly, his expression still deciding if he was actually feeling those nice, happy feelings he was promised.

Chloe got up from her chair and smiled proudly. "Don't sound too unsure." At her words, he looked up at her. "It's okay, you didn't think I could actually help. Most people think I'm an idiot when they first meet me."

"I didn't..."

"Yeah you did," Chloe said so plainly and resigned that it momentarily took away that peacefulness she had given him. "Last week you gave me _that_ look that everyone always gives me when I make a first impression on them. I'm very bad at them and usually it all ends up in the same way. I fall under the stereotype of a 'pretty blonde' who has all the beauty but no brains, so...I've learned to live with it," she shrugged. "I just care what people think about me _after_ they get to know me. Maybe you can do that later on."

Bucky watched her turn to leave. _Dammit._ His track record for messing up was already massive and now he had something new to add to it. _Great_.

Lucky for him, Chloe kept true to her word and continued to help him out. She was very punctual and very serious throughout each session. It was a stark difference from how she acted outside the sessions. It was rather amusing having to explain to Steve's dimpled-friend - he may have appropriated a few nicknames without their knoweldge - that Chloe _was_ helping him and not making sarcastic remarks. Dimples couldn't believe it.

"You don't have to lie to me because she's my friend," Seren assured him just in case he was having trouble speaking the truth. "Chloe has the tendency to mess around at the wrong times."

"I'm not lying," Bucky assured her. "She's doing a lot for me."

And speaking of the good helper, she was coming into the room with Steve and Sam hot on her trail. Well, it looked more like Sam was right behind her and Steve was trying to break whatever was going on.

"I _refuse_ to go to that place," Chloe said flatly before spinning to face Sam. "It's all dirty and, not to mention, it has horrible customer service."

"I just need you for 5 minutes," Sam was saying, sounding like he was begging. "Five minutes so you can distract the brother and I can talk to his sister."

"Guys..." Steve sighed, shutting his eyes.

"What the hell am I? Your wing-man?" Chloe arched an eyebrow at Sam.

"Actually, I believe it's wing _woman_ -"

"Shut up," she commanded so easily and swiftly it sounded like _she_ was in charge of the whole place. What was more amusing to Bucky was that everyone actually listened to her.

"What is going on?" Seren dreaded to ask the trio.

"Sam wants me to distract the brother of this girl he's been trying to talk to at that little restaurant he likes going to," Chloe folded her arms.

"I just need her little angel face for 5 minutes!" Sam exclaimed. "That's what the brother says about her anyways."

Chloe's face fell flat at the chosen 'compliment'. "What am I? A doll?"

"Yes! But, you know, in an endearing way?"

Chloe looked at Seren and Bucky with an incredulous expression on her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're a _wing-woman_ -" Sam tried to add but Chloe was done with him.

"Shut up!"

Steve shook his head at the two an decided to leave the pair's side. "Seren..."

"Guys," Seren clapped her hands to get the two's attention. "Seriously? Fighting over this?"

"She's my only hope," Sam argued like it was the best defense he had, the most logical one too. "She's the only one who can do it."

"No one else is willing to step up for the job?" Bucky had asked, surprising the others in the process. He didn't really partake in conversations and since he was doing it, no one would say anything about.

Sam started listing off his fingers to answer the question. "Natasha scares him, Wanda said a flatout 'no' and we all know Seren can't do it."

"Hey," Seren said with offence. "Why can't I?"

Sam said nothing but Bucky watched as he and Chloe's eyes flickered over to Steve. His best friend's face had suddenly gained a _deep_ frown. The idea was not very well received apparently. _Of course_ , Bucky inwardly rolled his eyes. _Dimples_. But she was none the wiser about it.

Sam saved Steve the torture by telling Seren, "You just can't."

Seren pouted. Bucky noted that, while still looking pretty, it wasn't the same like the one that Chloe sported.

"This is stupid," Chloe huffed. "I'm not doing it," she told Sam with a pointed look. He was to never ask that from her again.

"You are a bad friend," Sam frowned.

"I think I'm a good friend." Chloe happily corrected him and patted his cheek. "You can do better anyways - she's _so_ rude." She started listing off the specific reasons why said rude girl wasn't the one for Sam. She would've gone on for longer had Seren not cut her off with the suggestion that she should put her time into better use by helping Bucky for the day. It definitely sounded a lot better than arguing with Sam.

The last thing Bucky and Chloe heard as they left the room together was Seren once again asking Sam why she hadn't been considered to help be this 'wing-woman' of his.

"Watch out, Steve might blow a fuse or something," Chloe laughed lightly.

Bucky laughed with her. "Yeah, Dimples got to him."

"Dimples?" Chloe sent him a bemused glance. "You gave Seren a nickname?"

"I technically gave everyone one in the beginning. My memory's not that good with names."

"Ah, so Seren is 'Dimples', what's Sam's?"

Bucky knew she specifically asked that first because of the tetchy relationship he had with the para-rescuer. "Nothing nice."

"Well I know that, but what is it?"

"...Silly-Putty-Sam."

Chloe came to an abrupt stop. "Hold on - _what_!?" She turned to him completely, expecting a full explanation for that chosen name. "Why on Earth is he called that?"

"Because I _can_ and _will_ squeeze him if he continues to annoy me," Bucky said with an all serious face.

"Aah," Chloe nodded, "That's clever. And a bit scary, not gonna lie. So...what's mine?"

"Huh?"

"Mine! What's my nickname? I really don't care if it's mean too. I've had my own nicknames for the others when they piss me off."

"I...haven't really thought of one." Bucky wasn't sure why he just lied. He most certainly had thought of one for her right from the start. She was an utter _princess_.

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

_Lie!_

"Aw," Chloe pouted. "Why?"

"Don't know..."

 _Stop lying!_ Bucky really wished he could stop lying but he didn't even know _why_ he was lying in the first place. Was it about guilt? _If it was about guilt, you wouldn't have given Sam his nickname_.

Chloe left the topic alone once they reached their usual session room. It wasn't that big of a deal...to _her_. Bucky was still trying to figure out where the hell those lies came from and it certainly showed in his session with her. His thoughts were a bit more frazzled than normal. Chloe noticed it once or twice but she presumed it was just because the memories weren't that nice.

Still, as days continued to pass by, their sessions started to become a little less silent. They were still serious - how could they not be given the types of memories that crowded Bucky's mind? - but there was a different atmosphere around them, _between_ them. Because Bucky still wouldn't give up his nickname to her, whether out of guilt or some other reason, he started to take more notice of her beyond the princess aspects.

She still had the necessity to make comments about everything, but some of them were actually funny. At the very least they were amusing and God knew that he could use some amusement in his life. The best part was that a lot of her comments were directed at Sam and she was _good_ at them. She was incredibly intelligent and he dared to say it wasn't solely because of that Hive Mind she was a part of. No, she was smart all on her own. She gave Stark a run for his money sometimes.

And perhaps one of the things he was most aware of was how nice she _smelled_. It was ridiculous to pay attention to such a detail but it was just so prominent. Maybe it was because how close they always were during his sessions but the fact was that Chloe Winters smelled like a sweet flowers. Violets? Orchids? Lilies? All of them. She smelled like all of them. Couple that with that stupid Moroccan hair perfume of hers and...

Oh God he _needed_ to stop. Each session gave him the chance to think up something new about her, whether it was how she dressed or a new quirk he found...he thought of it. It came to the point that his thoughts began to shift towards her instead of the usual Hydra things stuffed in his head.

"You're not focusing," Chloe's sudden comment startled him and she noticed. With a chuckle, she leaned away from him, revealing bemused eyes. Sparkly eyes, mind you. "Did I seriously just startle _you_?"

"Be quiet," was the first thing that came to Bucky's mind and, unfortunately, out loud. Chloe merely rolled her eyes in response. "I have a lot on my mind."

"Clearly," she muttered. "That's kinda why I'm here, genius. I'm supposed to help you sort those thoughts out."

"Somehow I don't think you'll be able to do that." Truer words had never been spoken.

"What?" She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Are you doubting my talents again? I _can_ help, you know. Come here," she made a motion for him to assume the usual position. She scooted her chair closer to his and leaned her head towards him.

Bucky didn't move. He was actually wanting to lean _back_.

"C'mon!" Chloe exclaimed. "I'm not afraid to pull you!"

"Not like you _could_ ," he countered, immediately making a frown cross her face.

" _What_ was that?" Ah, there went the eyebrow again.

"Nothing," he mumbled. He had to get a grip or something.

"Seriously, c'mon," she motioned him to lean forwards.

With a sigh, Bucky listened. He pressed his forehead against hers. He soon started wondering if he'd always been able to feel her breath against him? His thoughts were momentarily interrupted when Chloe's fingers touched his skin. Were they tracing his temples?

"Focus," Chloe instructed him.

"Right," he agreed, or rather tried to agree with her. Where did all of this come from!? He wasn't like this, not at all, not even before everything happened.

"You're not focusing."

Bucky opened his eyes to find Chloe's staring right at him. "I'm not?" He asked, unusually quiet.

"No," she said, just as quiet as he had. She was trying to figure out on her own what was wrong with him today. Sure there were things that would clearly affect his mood when these sessions happened but she felt like there was something extra today. It worried her, actually. Why wasn't she able to help this time? She could fail at a lot of things but not this. It was too important to get it wrong. "Hey, seriously, what's wrong? I want to help you."

"I don't think you can..." Bucky said slowly as if he was just realizing this, and maybe he was. Unfortunately with little context to those words, Chloe misunderstood him.

"Oh. You don't think I'm capable of doing it."

"No, that's not i-"

"I get it. Believe me, it's not the first time. I swear I'm capable of many things. Plus, I know a thing or two about having your mind invaded." Chloe offered him a warm smile. "I have so many things going on in my head, you might as well chalk me up as insane."

"You're not insane," Bucky shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted her to get from this awkward moment. "And you've been helping me a lot, trust me."

"I do," she said with a significant look in her eyes. It was hard knowing that most people couldn't trust him because he himself couldn't trust himself not to hurt someone. She knew that and she wanted him - _needed_ him - to know that she wasn't part of 'most people'. _Oh, **need**? That's weird. _She cleared her throat, ignoring the light warmth on her face. "Listen, we don't have to do this today. We can pick up tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Yes," Bucky quickly said. Maybe by tomorrow he could get himself under control. Yes, yes, yes, he could. He could do that.

"Alright." Chloe pushed her chair away and got up. "Oh, maybe you can use this spare time to come up with a nickname for me! You know I've been waiting for one."

"Right," Bucky mumbled. He was terrible even at that because he couldn't give her another name. _Princess_ had somehow, at some point, shifted from a superficial name to a more...endearing one. It was hard to admit it but it was the truth. "Dammit."

He _really_ hated Steve right now. Out of everyone he had to have Chloe be the one to help him. He got the princess and now it seemed like _she_ had _him_.

* * *

**Author's Note** :

Okay so I'm not sure if I should add a small part 2. I'll probably think about it. But thanks for the read!

 **P.S** As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.


	2. Charms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky struggles to avoid Chloe and put those wrong feelings to rest. Meanwhile, Chloe is still under the idea that she's done something so wrong that Bucky won't see her anymore.

**Author's Note:**

Back with a part 2 because someone asked and I'm weak for these 2 :)).

* * *

There wasn't a lot of things that made sense. One of those things was Bucky suddenly choosing not to continue seeing Chloe after a week or so. It was simply too much and for _him_ , that was saying something. He just couldn't understand how the hell all this happened, much less _why_ it had to happen.

Chloe Winters had been sent to _help_ him and he chose - no, no, some part of him chose - to like her just a bit too much. He tried to get past it, focus on what she was instructing him to do. It wasn't like he was short on bad memories to focus on but it seemed like each time he and Chloe were in the middle of the sessions, his mind liked to seek out new details about her that he hadn't noticed before. Her long tresses of blonde hair actually had strands that were slightly darker than others. She actually had a half-formed dimple on her left cheek. It didn't always come out but then again, when did _he_ ever make her smile? That honor mostly went to the annoying silly-putty man. _Angel Face_. That annoying nickname Sam appropriated on her God knew how long ago actually started making sense. There were just times when he was lucky enough to see a mischievous glint in her otherwise angel eyes.

Bucky was sure that if Steve were to find out what was running through his head these days, he would laugh to the moon. But no. No one could find out. Absolutely nobody.

It's why he had to quit the sessions. Perhaps he could gain some type of control over this if he wasn't so close to Chloe. _Control._ What a terrible word that was. It could possibly haunt him for the rest of his life. He hadn't had control over himself in years and that would stop now. He would have control of himself at least in this aspect of his life, more for Chloe's sake than his. She was young, she didn't need any of this, much less from _him_. He still vividly remembered her reaction during their last session which was what ultimately pushed him to do one good thing in his life after all the bad.

"You're really not focusing," Chloe had noticed straightaway his lack of attention.

Even with his eyes shut, Bucky imagined the frown she often put on that was more or less of a pout instead. When he opened his eyes, he confirmed. It was alarming how quickly he began to memorize some of her habits. Whether that was part of the enhanced abilities he had or his brain was just _that_ attuned to her, he was not sure. He didn't want to know either.

"Okay, _c'mon_!" Chloe huffed, inadvertently fanning him with her breath. There was remnants of a sweet cinnamon scent in the air. Her eyes snapped open and met his, not looking the least bit bothered by their incredible closeness. They seemed to narrow, actually. "You want to tell me what's going on or are we just going to keep dancing around in these sessions?" She didn't mean to sound angry but she was a bit frustrated that this wasn't working anymore. It meant _she_ wasn't working anymore. She wasn't able to help him. Recently, she found that she really liked helping him. It certainly brought out some of those nice personality traits Steve swore he had. Chloe was personally interested in seeing that charming smile Bucky was rumored to have. She'd seen some of the old photographs circling through the Smithsonian museum and yes, he really did have a charming smile. She wanted to see it in person (not _at_ her though, of course not). Moreover, if Bucky was capable of producing one of those smiles, it meant he was on a road that would ultimately lead to recovery.

But clearly she was failing to help him.

She got further confirmation when Bucky practically recoiled from her. He'd realized it was different being this close to her when they both had their eyes opened and were looking at each other. Foreheads touching, locked gazes, knees brushing against each others and her sweet floral scent? How was he supposed to control himself when all the odds were against him?

It was flat out terrifying how much he was affected by her. Even when his mind was frazzled, he couldn't remember another moment like this in his life. _What_ did Chloe possess that she had him bitter sweetly suffering for her? Moreover, why couldn't he stop?

Was this just another consequence of Hydra? He lost that trait in him that once allowed him to glide through women like nothing? _That's stupid_ , he concluded. As if Hydra would ever take that into consideration. No. This was all him. So it begged the question again...why was it happening now? This was _the_ worst time possible.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me or what?" Chloe's sharp tone pulled Bucky back to the present...a torturous present. Her frustration was evident in her narrowed eyes. That was something else he learned about her. She was very easily irritated.

"I can't..." He decided, pushing himself up from his seat.

"What—" Chloe frantically followed his movements and rushed up to her feet. "What's going on? Did I do something? Did I _not_ do something I should've?"

There was the other thing, a trait that often upset Bucky. Each time Chloe felt like she'd done something wrong, she panicked. And when she panicked, she frantically tried fixing it like she had something to _prove_. He was a bit familiar with that. Someone else used to do that back in the day.

"Should we change something? Do you want me to change something!? Just tell me-"

"Chloe stop before you can't breathe," Bucky had to practically command her before she actually went blue in the face. "I just don't want to do this anymore."

"But why not?" She bit her lip. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No..."

She didn't buy it. "People always tell me when I do something wrong so if I did do something wrong, just tell me so I can fix it. You won't hurt my feelings. I'm very used to this."

That twisted something in his stomach. She should not be used to that. No one should ever make her feel like that. Bucky tried ignoring the flash of anger that crossed him.

"What did I do?" Chloe asked again, her tone softening as she waited to hear the mistakes she so clearly believed she made.

"Nothing," Bucky assured her even though it wasn't completely the truth. Se had done something but she hadn't at the same time. The best thing he could do was to remove himself - he had the option to do so.

"Well, that's just a lie—"

"We're done, Chloe." Bucky turned away before she blinked at him with those big eyes of hers. Removing himself quite literally meant _removing_ himself from the situation. Until he discovered a way to end these confusing thoughts, he would have to put some decent distance between him and Chloe.

~ 0 ~

In the following days, Chloe tried her hardest to figure out where she'd gone wrong. She honestly thought that she'd done everything like she was supposed to. She'd taken things very seriously and done what she could to help ease Bucky's nerves. Where had she gone wrong? It wasn't long before she noticed that he was trying to keep away from her. She was thoroughly stumped.

"You can't get upset over it," Sam said to her one afternoon. "Guy like him? His mind's all over the place."

"I'm not upset, I'm...irritated," Chloe admitted. At first she'd been truly upset that it was her fault Bucky decided to end the sessions but she slowly came to the same conclusion that Sam suggested. "I'm irritated because he won't help me help _him_. I can't tweak my strategies if I don't know what's wrong with them."

Sam shook his head at her. "Oh c'mon, try to forget about it for a while."

"I can't," Chloe admitted with a heavy sigh.

"Why not?"

Chloe didn't answer straightaway. There was too much going on in her head and for once it wasn't because of the Hive Mind. She wasn't one to dwell so much but this one...this one had her. She couldn't get rid of the urge she felt to help Bucky. She helped a lot of people in the past but there was just something different this time 'round.

 _Just forget the charming smile_ , she berated herself as that's what was keeping her tied to the problem. It wasn't. There was plenty more and she hated to admit it. But she would be the biggest idiot if she ever admitted that to Sam. He would have field day with that information.

"I just can't," she whispered.

Sam watched her carefully as a heavy feeling fell over her angel face. "Hey, I got an idea. A distraction."

"Yeah, what do you have?"

Sam smirked. "A bet."

For all her troubles, Chloe Winters loved a good bet.

~0~

Endless huffs and groans carried out from the compound's training room. Some of them were a bit worrisome and others made it sound like there was a child or rather an angry teenager who wasn't getting her way. Bucky wasn't sure if it was normal to immediately recognize those sounds but the reality is that he did, and perfectly too. He could've walked away - or he could've kept walking - but he didn't. With a heavy sigh, he came into the right room - a training room - and found Chloe resting her head against a a long, black staff. She was frustrated.

She was obviously training, or perhaps trying to, he'd caught her a few times in the room with Dimples. Today it seemed like she was on her own. She was wearing fitted black pants and a black jacket with the outstanding silver zipper in the middle. Her long hair was parted into two double-dutch braids that ended at the nape of her neck. Even upset she still looked—

"I can feel you staring," her eerie calm voice actually startled him. _The irony_.

"Sorry, I was—"

Chloe pulled her head from the staff and looked his way with sharp eyes. "Watching me fail? Yeah, I think you've been getting a show from me lately." She turned completely to face him.

"I already told you that you did nothing wrong—"

Chloe waved him off. "Fine, fine. But listen," she twirled the staff in her hand around, "Can you just tell Steve that _you_ decided you didn't want to continue with the sessions? Because if he asks me one more time what happened, I'm going to forget that I love him dearly and I'm going to kill him."

As much Bucky fought the urge to — and he really did fight it — his lips curved into a smile that soon turned into an actual chuckle.

"Don't laugh!" Chloe pointed at him but her own growing smile defeated the purpose of her scold. "I mean it. He's been driving me crazy with all these questions. And don't even give me the crap that I stand no chance against _the_ Captain America because I swear to you that I would find a way."

"I have no doubt that you would," Bucky's words were honest and he only realized it after he'd said them. For some reason, instead of things being chill and distant between them, everything seemed to melt away. He eyed the staff she was holding a bit too tightly. "Are you alright?"

Knowing where his attention had gone to made Chloe pull the staff behind her back as if that would completely hide it from view. "Let's just say that I may have made a bad decision..."

"I think I'm no stranger to that." He should stop talking and leave but his feet were glued to his current spot. It became permanent when Chloe smiled at his comment.

"Sorry," she bit her lower lip. "I know that given your situation, you must think that my problems are petty..."

"I don't," Bucky shook his head. He didn't blame her for her thought logic but he most certainly wasn't going to let her believe it was true. "What's bothering you?"

Chloe upheld his gaze until the warmth on her face got the best of her. She appreciated his interest even when things between them weren't as great as they could've been. "It's this bet I made with Sam. I'm supposed to beat him at a spar using—" she brought the staff from her back for show, "—this. But here's the thing..." Her entire face fell flat. "I suck." Once more, Bucky lost the battle with against laughing. Chloe tried her best not to look as irritated as she would've been had somebody else laughed at her. "I'm not kidding! Staffs just aren't my thing."

"Then how exactly have you been putting up a fight?"

"I used to be a gymnast when I was younger so I've sort of transferred some of those moves into my fighting skills. Plus, I know combat I just...don't do well with staffs for some reason." She narrowed her eyes at the staff beside her. "I _hate_ them."

"Why'd you bet with him in the first place, then?"

"Because I make bad decisions!"

This time Bucky didn't laugh but he couldn't say the same about the smiling. He just couldn't stop. He was used to doing a lot of fighting but he was beginning to suspect that this one wasn't going to be so easily won. In fact, when he volunteered himself to give Chloe pointers and she beamed...the fight was nearly lost.

"So what exactly is this bet anyways?" He asked after she'd handed him her staff. "And how do I make sure that Sam loses?"

Chloe laughed. It was angelic too. _Goddammit this is ridiculous_ , Bucky inwardly huffed. Maybe he was exaggerating or something — nobody could sound _that_ type of beautiful by just laughing.

"Well, if he wins then I have to be that wing-woman I said I'd never be and go dancing with him," she explained, completely missing the deep frown that crossed Bucky's face.

"Dancing?" How exactly was that supposed to help anyone?

"It's this ruse we both do when we want make someone jealous," Chloe shrugged. "Last time, I scored a date with a CEO guy. Didn't last but you get the idea. It works."

"Yeah..." Bucky struggled to keep his teeth from visibly gritting together. How could he hate an idea so much when he wasn't even involved?

"And if _I_ win, then he buys me dinner from my favorite place."

"Doesn't sound like he's giving up much," Bucky said, barely hiding the sour tinge in his tone.

Chloe smirked. "That place is extremely expensive. I like expensive things. And be assured that if I win, I will make him spend hundreds of dollars."

"But you said you're not good..."

"Right. So I'm going to need those pointers of yours." Chloe made a gesture with her hand for Bucky to get started. She was all ears.

"I need to see how you're fighting with a staff before I give any advice," he tossed her the staff back and watched her fumble to catch it. "Well, there's one thing right there."

At his subtle teasing, she brandished the staff at him like it was a sword. "Watch it," she warned, her eyes slightly narrowing. "I told you that I"m not an idiot. I don't know how to fight with a staff all that well but I do know some things."

"Let me see them."

"...what?"

"Let me see what you're doing." Bucky pulled his arms behind his back and put on a stance of waiting.

Chloe lifted an incredulous eyebrow at him. He was serious. "In the history of an unfair fight, _this_ —" her finger switched between him and her, "—takes the cake. You're not doing this to me."

"Just do it."

Chloe huffed but prepared herself for an attack. She wouldn't dream of winning against him but the least she could do was give him a good whack for pulling this on him. When she went in for the first try, Bucky easily deflected it and still took notice of her mistakes. One of the first things he noticed — and perhaps was most amused by — was her easily irritability. She wasn't huffing nor growling but her face was as red as tomatoes each time he took the upper-hand.

He finally grabbed the staff when it almost hit the side of his head but even that wasn't very strong either. He swiftly snatched it from her hand and brandished it against her forehead. "You're dead," he announced.

She rolled her eyes and pushed the staff off her. "Tell me something I don't know. Sam's going to kick my ass and I'll have to be his wing-woman. Don't be fooled, there's a lot to the job."

"You don't need to become better overnight, you just need to know enough to beat him."

"And how do I do that?" Instead of verbally answering her, he wielded the staff against her but before he actually did anything with it, she pushed it aside. "I don't care if you were the Winter Soldier, if you actually hurt me I _will_ get you back for it. It might not be now nor that obvious, but I did grow up with an older brother so I know my way around tricks."

At this point, Bucky wouldn't even try to hide his amusement. He laughed. Chloe smiled triumphantly. She'd been working her way to that line and it felt good seeing it pay off. She hadn't seen his charming smile but hearing his laugh was just as good. She wondered how he sounded back before anything happened to him. It must have been nice to see.

She cleared her throat when the warmth on her face was too much. "So, tips?"

Bucky nodded. "The trick to this is simple—"

"I'm sure," she folded her arms, smirking when he rolled his eyes at her.

"Stop trying to learn all these different moves to win. You only need two max."

"Okay, so what would you recommend?"

"Like I said, something simple. I'm guessing that because Sam knows you're, uh, not that good with the staffs, he won't be expecting you to actually do something. He'll most likely watch you fumble and maybe laugh a bit—"

Chloe's face had fallen flat the moment he stated going off on that tangent. "Anytime you want to actually show me something would be great." She saw the smirk on Bucky's face too late. The staff had suddenly come across her legs and knocked her flat on her back. Just as she raised her head, the staff pushed against her throat.

"That good enough for you?" He looked down at her with such a sarcastic expression that in that moment, Chloe forgot all about charming nonsense and glared with glowing blue eyes.

"Some people have the courtesy to point this—" she tapped the staff, "—at your chest, not your throat! That hurts!"

"It's what anyone would expect," Bucky pulled the staff from her throat and offered her his flesh hand instead. "But you can't deny and say that it's not simple enough. You can definitely get it."

Chloe took his hand and was easily pulled to her feet. "Did you forget the part where I don't own any of that super soldier strength? You _have_ seen Sam, right? I didn't fight in a war - I was a gymnast for God's sake! I still am but with an alien Hive Mind inside my head!"

"Don't sell yourself short, Chloe," Bucky said, earnestly. "I've seen your fighting skills and they _are_ good. You just can't be good at everything." That would make her insanely perfect. "But you _can_ beat Wilson. I know you can."

Chloe blushed all of a sudden. _Stop that_ , she snapped at herself. It was one thing to think about smiles and another to, well...do _that_. He wouldn't be the first man to 'believe in her' - this _was_ the home of the Avengers. Steve Rogers was chock-full of 'believe in you' speeches and Tony wasn't that far behind (in his own spectacular way he delivered the speeches just as fine as Steve did).

But she met Bucky's gaze and felt her entire body warm up.

"So, um...what-what do you think I should do?" She asked. She crossed her arms over her chest as she fought the inner battle of her self-consciousness.

"Exactly what I just did. Use the sweep strike first then the downward thrust. You can't do the latter if you don't do the former. Try it," he tossed her the staff which she barely caught. "And use all of your strength. You should be fine with one blow because the staffs are pretty dense themselves. Try it."

Chloe clutched the staff with both of her hands. "I swear to God if you laugh—"

"Why would I laugh?" The smile on his face betrayed his intentions.

"How the hell are you friends with Steve Rogers, a.k.a. the nicest man on the planet?"

"I'm not nice?"

Chloe took all her annoyance and put it into her moves. She swept the staff down below but instead of doing what had been done to her, Bucky grasped the staff and used his grip on it to pull her towards him. She yelped when her entire body did a spin and her back hit Bucky's chest. "What the fuck just happened?" Her wide eyes blinked several times.

She felt Bucky's body rumble behind her as he laughed. She looked at their position, still trying to figure out how the hell it happened. His metal arm was wrapped around her waist while his other hand held onto her staff. As annoyed — and confused — as she was, there was a mighty tingle that ran down her back. If she stayed perfectly still, she could feel his breath tickling the side of her neck from his laughter. It seemed like she had a very good talent at making him laugh. She'd take it.

"Having fun there, Sergeant?" She looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

"Maybe," he admitted. He was. He really, really was. It was the first time he had a good laugh since...a very long time ago. He met Chloe's waiting gaze and found her delightfully close. Her pink lips were still curled into an alluring smirk that was begging for someone to cover them with their own. He swallowed hard. That'd been a very dangerous thought.

"Glad to hear it," Chloe whispered, sounding a bit distant. Apart from the charming smiles and laugh, she was discovering the blue of his eyes. She was at a much better angle to gaze into them and she was not disappointed.

Someone cleared their throat at the head of the room, breaking them apart in a second. Bucky thanked his lucky stars that it was Dimples and _not_ Steve because he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"I came to see if you needed some help with that stupid bet you made with Sam," Seren awkwardly folded her arms over her chest.

"I got it, thanks," Chloe was quick to say with a tight smile. _Goodbye_ is what she wanted to say. Unfortunately, things went in a very different direction.

"I tried giving her some advice, but feel free to help her," Bucky pulled his arm from Chloe and handed her the staff back.

"Bucky, wait—" Chloe reached out for him but he was already crossing the room. She groaned as soon as he was gone. "Well thanks a lot, Seren!"

The ginger lifted an incredulous eyebrow at her. " _What_?" She didn't know whether to laugh or not. "I just wanted to help—"

"You could've helped by keeping your orange head out of this!"

 _"Chloe!"_ Seren frowned, one of her hands raising to her ginger hair. "That's not nice."

"Go tell Steve or something."

Seren rolled her eyes. "Chloe, you can't do _that_."

"Do what?"

" _That_. Whatever I just walked into, it shouldn't be happening." Seren shook her head, putting on that motherly tone Chloe often came across with. "It's not right and you should be focused on helping Bucky."

"Yeah, well, he didn't seem so against being that close," Chloe smirked.

"Chloe," sighed Seren. "I just feel like Bucky has a lot to deal with and you should try to help him not..." Her hands did an awkward gesture that had Chloe nearly laughing, "...you know...try to kiss him or something!"

"Oh, but would that be _so_ bad?" Chloe bit on her lower lip. The more she considered the idea, the more inclined she was to it.

"Oh Chloe, don't set yourself up to get hurt," Seren genuinely wished her friend would think things through before she tried to do anything. She could only hope that Chloe would heed her advice.

~ 0 ~

He'd seen Chloe kick Sam's ass and seeing Sam's stunned face was such a priceless moment that Bucky would be placing it at the top of his best memories. Chloe had been so proud of herself that even the loser himself had to laugh with her in the end. He offered Chloe to buy her dinner there and then and while it had been a purely platonic offer, it fouled Bucky's mood in a second. He didn't want to admit it but somewhere inside he knew he seethed with jealousy that someone else had the opportunity to buy Chloe dinner and _he_ couldn't.

It was just one of the many opportunities he'd lost because of Hydra. Losing himself was always the biggest loss he suffered but now that he was 'back' to the world living decently, he started discovering that there were other losses he hadn't even considered. Taking a girl out to dinner was just one of those losses he was discovering. And it _hurt_. For centuries the only pain he felt was a physical one and somehow that seemed to pale in comparison. This type of hurt was carried around all day, all the time, and enhanced whenever she was around. He could be near her for a few minutes before he had to make himself scarce to avoid any trouble.

Chloe noticed straightaway. She had hoped that after their moment training things would be better for them, maybe even their sessions would start again. She just didn't understand what the hell was going on with him. She started to think that Seren was right — Bucky simply had too much going on and she couldn't get mad at that. If anything, she just wanted to help him. Because as much as he tried avoiding her, she could tell when his thoughts were getting to him. It actually pained her to see _him_ in pain.

 _You're going to drive yourself crazy if you keep going on this path_ , she inwardly sighed. She had to face facts. Whatever problem Bucky had with her, she would never find out. She simply had to move _past it_.

But as soon as she walked into the lounge room and saw Bucky pacing back and forth with a clear problem on his mind, she knew that it was going to be impossible. His pacing was slightly heavy with his feet dragging here and there. It was like whatever was going through his head was distracting enough to interrupt his walk.

"Bucky?" She called but, unsurprisingly, he didn't even notice she'd come in. She heard him muttering things but couldn't make out what he was saying. "Hey, Bucky!"

He said nothing but did wave her off, and rather harshly too. Chloe didn't think it was on purpose — something bad was occupying his mind and if she could take a guess, she'd pick Hydra as the number one option.

If she could see in his mind at that moment she would catch all the flashes of dark moments passing through his head. He'd been lucky enough to have most of these episodes at night (never mind sleeping) but today...he wasn't that fortunate. He couldn't rid himself of the flashes, the voices, the _blood_. It was overwhelming him.

"Bucky, c'mon!" Chloe sprinted towards him, catching him just as he turned around. "What's the matter—"

"I need to be alone!" He practically yelled.

"And I need to be stronger...apparently!" She said as he so easily walked her back in his pacing. "C'mon, talk to me!"

"I can't!" He finished his pacing once again and turned in the opposite direction.

Chloe watched him do two more rounds before she decided to help him whether or not he wanted it. He _needed_ it. She waited for him to turn around again then promptly slapped her hands to his temples. Bucky blinked twice before a funny feeling came over him and his eyes fell shut. The 'funny feeling' wasn't anything to do with his latest affection for Chloe.

The memories started slowing down, giving him the chance to _breathe_ for the first time since the last hour. He could see a warm blue glow around him that even though he had no idea what it was, it just made him feel good...relaxed. An odd faint noise filled his ears but it was difficult making out what it was.

"You're good, trust me," he perfectly heard Chloe's voice over the noise. He could open his eyes but for some reason he didn't want to; whatever power she had over him (her literal power) was much too peaceful to let go. With that mentality, his body easily followed her movements and before he knew it, she was gently sitting them on the couch, her fingers never once lifting from his temples.

"It's okay, you'll be okay," she whispered. He felt her forehead press against his just like she would in their sessions.

How long did he think he could escape anyways? She was just too close and...too helpful. As soon as he breathed in, he smelled her sweet floral scent again and that Moroccan hair perfume.

"Do you want to know something?" She suddenly asked and he was unsure whether or not it was to keep things from getting awkward or simply to share something to make him feel better. "The noise you hear? It's music."

"Is it alien?" The question slipped from him before he could realize. Still, it earned him one nice, soft laugh.

"No, it's completely human. These creatures I'm accidentally connected to...for some reason, when I feel them reaching out — whether or not they realize that I can feel them — and I know that they're in trouble, I just let them hear music. It seems to calm them down. I know it does the same for me when my head feels too crazy. Is it working for you too?"

"...yeah, actually, it is." Bucky could feel his mind clearing up little by little. Nothing was going at light speed anymore. His body was no longer tense...for the memories anyways. He opened his eyes to see Chloe with her own shut tight. She was deeply focused on the task. He'd spent a lot of time trying to avoid her so that this precise thing wouldn't transpire anymore...but he failed miserably. She was so close right now, one small movement and...

"I'm glad," she smiled lightly. "I told you that I knew a thing or two about having your mind invaded. I know that my troubles, my past, could never be as horrible as yours but trust me when I say that I would do anything to help you ease your pain. When Seren first found me, I was a wreck and she was so kind to me. She did everything she could to help me. I want to do that for someone too and despite your reservations about my abilities, I _am_ happy that you gave me a chance for a time. I promise to do better."

"Chloe, I swear to you that I didn't end the sessions because of something wrong that you did."

Chloe finally opened her eyes to meet his. "Then _why_?" She whispered. "I thought...I thought we were doing good but then you..." She sighed. "You're honestly so confusing, and that's apart from everything else going on. You, as in _you_ , are confusing me. One day you're helping me win some bet and then the next day you vanish from me."

"Yeah, I, uh, haven't been very clear..." And how could he be? He himself didn't know what the hell he was doing anymore. Like Chloe had said, that was _apart_ from everything else. She herself was making him so confused. The sadder part was that no matter what he tried to do about it, it didn't help him in any way.

So really, what was the _point_ in trying to do something about it if it wasn't yielding the results he needed? The words ' _Just go for it_ ' came too late as Bucky had already leaned forwards to kiss Chloe. She had a very small moment to be surprised about it before he was pulling away. Her blinking eyes locked with his. He was utterly guilt-ridden and yet, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sorry for doing it. He was merely sorry for whatever kindness Chloe would rescind from now on.

"I know, you're done," he started pulling her fingers off his temples when she yanked them out of his hands. He sighed. "It's why I avoi—"

"No, be quiet," she was quick to bring her hands to his face, her fingers spreading over his cheeks. "This is why we _talk_ , dammit. Use _words_." Because if he _had_ used words to explain, then she could've very well skipped the quiet admiring thing she was trapped doing. She offered him a smile that may as well have been the faint music she'd played in his head to offer the same peacefulness. She pulled one of her legs onto the couch as she shifted her body closer to his.

She pressed her lips against his for a kiss that promised to last longer than the first. Bucky's mind went soaring with new thoughts and feelings. His entire body felt a raging swarm of sparks that if he'd been his regular self in the 40s, he would've called crazy. There was no girl on the planet that could ever do all that with such a simple act.

As it turned out, there was.

He just had to go through a couple decades first to meet her.

But now here she was...giving him such delectable kisses. He couldn't get enough of her. Even when her body was against his, it wasn't enough. His arms wrapped around her waist to hold her. Her hands had come down from his face to his shoulders, gripping them as tightly as she could which wasn't a lot in comparison to his strength. He wouldn't comment on that. He loved feeling that urgency she had to hold him too. It wasn't as one-sided as he once thought.

 _But it's still not right_ _!_ The sharp voice was quick to scold. It was enough to yank him out of the moment.

Chloe missed the warmth as soon as his lips were gone. "Hold on—"

"It's not right, Chloe. I have no right pulling you into any of this. I'm the worst candidate for you—"

"I wasn't aware that I _had_ candidates," she made a face.

"Trust me," Bucky ran a hand down a long curl of hers. "You definitely do and each one is a lot better than what you have in front of you. I'm nothing but darkness and you don't need that."

"I would appreciate if you gave _me_ the power to choose what I want and don't want." In any other case, Chloe would've been nothing but irritated somebody was taking decisions for her but this wasn't any ordinary case. She had to tread carefully and most importantly not invalidate Bucky's feelings. "Listen to me," she once again shifted to get closer. Her hands cupped his face and tilted his head towards her. "You have done dark things but _you_ are _not_ dark." Bucky was midway scoffing when she gripped his head a little tighter, forcing his gaze to stay right on her. "You _feel_. Whether it's gloomy and grim, you _feel_. You have remorse for things that you had no control over and that's more than enough proof for me."

"I don't want to pull you down with me," he whispered. "I'm drowning."

"Oh honey, who says I'd let you drown?" She smiled at him, hoping to get one back from him too.

He didn't. In fact, he couldn't look at her. "I don't need you helping me out of any affection you think you might have."

"Don't go insulting me sweetheart. The reasons for my reservations on helping you came from a source of self doubt. I get a lot of things wrong around here. I'm sure you've heard about that already," Chloe swallowed roughly. "And even _if_ I had any type of affection for you, it wasn't the reason why I wanted to help. You think Steve didn't tell us all about you before he brought you here? Hell, you think that the world didn't know who you were in the 40s? I knew that you were good, alright? I knew that you were a good person who bad stuff done to them. So let me keep helping, please."

Bucky finally looked at her and when he did, all that Chloe saw was _'why?_ '. Why bother to help him at all? She shook her head at him.

"Because you deserve help," she said simply. "And I would very much like to be the one to help. And along the way, if you'd like, we could have some dinner or something...?"

A light bemusement crossed Bucky's face. "Hold on...did _you_ just ask _me_ on a date?"

"Oh, _that's_ all it took to get you out of your moment?" Chloe felt her face warm up to an insane point. She would absolutely take it. "Then yeah, I am. When you are ready, I would love to go on a date with you."

"Ah, doll face, you have no idea how much I'd like that." There was an underlying regret in his tone but Chloe wouldn't let him get away with it. She'd found what would help him get out of his 'gunk' and she would use every thing she had at her disposal.

"Doll face?" She grinned. "Is that my nickname? Did you finally come up with one for me?"

"No," he said and watched her pout dejectedly.

"What? Why not? I like it."

"Because...because I already had one for you way in the beginning." If he was finally putting everything out there, he might as well bring out the last bit.

"What is it, then?"

 _"Princess._ And to be fair—" He started just as Chloe's eyebrows quirked into a not so pleased reaction, "—I thought of that the first time I met you. You were an absolute princess. Long, curly blonde hair and rosy cheeks? Are you _kidding_ me?"

Chloe rolled her eyes but the playful smile on her face helped him relax. She wasn't going to be upset over it.

"You make the perfect facial expressions, and — no offence — but you kind of seemed like an air head in the beginning." He laughed when she gasped in offence and shoved him on the chest. "I was wrong, clearly!"

"You're a jerk! No—" she jabbed her finger to his chest each time she spoke, "—you're a flirt, a-a show off and I heard that you're a know-it-all too!"

"Stop talking to Steve about me!"

"Take the nickname back!"

"I don't think I will," he declared. And there went the adorable pout. "Because it's not all to do with your appearance anymore. You're a princess, and if I was lucky enough...I'd call you _my_ Princess."

Chloe's face softened. "I'd like that," she whispered.

Bucky's gaze lowered. "Me too..."

"So let's take this step by step," Chloe's hands once more cradled his head. "Let's focus on your sessions. We can resume them and do everything we can to ease your recovery." Her fingers gingerly brushed her fingers through strands of his hair.

As much as he fought it, he let his eyes fall shut. She may have had _the_ softest fingers and, well, he had a lot of fingers comb through his hair before the war happened. (He would never in his life admit that to her though, not unless he was suddenly stupid).

"Can we do that?" Chloe's voice filled his ears once more. "Help you?"

' _Anything you want_ ' nearly rolled off his tongue if he hadn't caught himself. His eyes snapped open and before he knew it, he was nodding. He wanted _her_ and in order for that to happen, he needed to get better. He couldn't be anyone's 'someone' if he wasn't complete. He would dare to believe that he did deserve some type of help. He had to because then it would make no sense for him staying alive after so much.

"Help me please," he whispered.

Chloe smiled softly. "Of course. But can you do something for me first?"

"What?" He knew something good was coming the way she blushed in an instant.

"Can you...can you smile for me?" Her sheepish question was outright surprising.

"Smile?"

"It's just...I've seen countless pictures of you and people always said that you had a charming smile. Steve talked about it too. It's stupid, I know," she said, her eyes quickly darting to the side out of embarrassment.

While she was embarrassed, Bucky was soaring with smugness. "Really? Is _that_ why you wanted to help me then? For one smile?"

"Shut up," she said quickly, her hand reaching up to her hair to tuck some of it behind her right ear. "Never mind. Let's just forget it and we can do another session or something."

"No, no," he reached out to her to stop her from getting off the couch. "You're doing so much for me, if I can pay with a smile then...why not?" He laughed.

Chloe blushed all over again but it all seemed to stop when he actually smiled at her. He did it with so much ease that she wondered at what point did he learn how to do it. Was he a young boy? Probably. It _had_ to be.

"So c'mon, Princess, can I squeeze in a session right now?" He had the audacity to ask sweetly. He knew exactly what he was doing and Chloe would make a note to get him back for it later. "Well—"

Chloe practically lunged on him, her lips landing perfectly against his. Bucky swiftly caught her by the waist and pressed his metal hand against her back. He met her hungry kisses and matched them with his own. Neither really considered the idea that their impromptu makeout session could be cut short if someone were to walk in and find them in their compromising positions. Chloe threw that thought out the moment she was able to wrap her legs around Bucky's waist and felt his hands roam her body. There was no concept of ' _space_ ' for either of them. All they knew was that they needed to be as close as possible to each other and they suspected that this would be the reality for a long, _long_ time.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I swear that I'm trying to get my ideas sorted for this fandom and I'm not just writing crap. It just takes a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.


	3. March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As time passes, whatever is happening between Chloe and Bucky seems to solidify. During a birthday party, 2 very different thoughts come to each of their minds. Chloe wonders when exactly is Bucky's birthday while Bucky wonders when, oh when, will he get to dance with Chloe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally have no idea where this came from but it happened so here it is :)

"I can't believe Steve had the audacity to be born on the _4th of July_!" Chloe wouldn't believe it even though she learned that piece of information a very long time ago. It was simply too ironic. She shifted her body on the ground but there was no possible way to be comfortable in the training room's dirty ground. She was just too tired to stand up. "The nerve of that guy, honestly." She smirked when she heard the heavy footsteps coming towards her.

"Please don't bad-talk my best friend." Soon enough, Bucky was towering over her with a staff in hand. "And get off the ground, will you?"

Chloe propped her upper body up with her elbows. "Make me."

Bucky pointed the staff at her, his warning look doing nothing for her. So, naturally, he poked her left shoulder until she lost balance in her left elbow and she fell flat on her back. Now he was the one smirking.

"That's not funny!" Chloe huffed and pulled herself up from the ground.

"Got you up, didn't it?"

"I really hate you." Chloe reached out for the staff but he pulled it behind his back. "And I meant what I said about Steve. Like, is he serious?"

Bucky very seriously nodded his head. "I think it's pretty serious, yeah."

Chloe shook her head at him. "You are really something, you know? But that's an argument for later. For now..." she sauntered up to him with a innocent smile on her face. "The party — your thoughts?"

"My thoughts about a party that Stark's organizing?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at her. "You're kidding me, right?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at him. Her fingers started dancing their way up Bucky's arms until they came to rest on his shoulders. "I meant...what do you think about going to this party together?" She knew it was a testy question that could potentially lead to some disagreements, but she had to ask.

The question quickly unsettled Bucky. "Chlo..." He pulled away from her but made it seem like he was simply putting the staff back in its place. "We agreed on how this would work best for now."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm also not suggesting a full-on public date." Chloe folded her arms over her chest. "I still owe you dinner, after all." Bucky looking back at her with a smirk did make her relax a bit. He wasn't upset. "Look," she brought her arms to her sides as she walked towards him, "I know that this—" she gestured between them, "—is fairly new and you don't want to bring a lot of attention to yourself so if that's it then...okay. I just had to ask."

With a sigh, Bucky turned around. "Hey, it's _my_ problem, not yours. Everything is always about me and, yeah, it's as bad as it sounds. I'm sorry."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't need an apology. I get it, trust me. Your health comes first," she brought a hand up to his cheek. "But I will see you at the party, right? Tony's making it—enforcing it, really—a 1940s party."

"Of course," Bucky rolled his eyes.

"He says we all have to come dressed for the part. I'm excited." And it showed on Chloe's face too. Her eyes dazzled once she started going on about the opportunities to get dressed up for the occasion.

Bucky let her go on until her face would turn purple from how fast she was rambling. Nobody would take the fondness from his eyes. He would _love_ to take her to that party as his girl. He had no doubt that she would look like an absolute angel in whatever she decided to wear.

~ 0 ~

When Tony announced his proposition to host the surprise birthday party, everyone immediately presumed it would be something over the top. Seren specifically warned him not to even _try_ doing something along those lines. Steve wouldn't want it and much less desire such attention.

The party was within the compound's ground and even then Tony still managed to go above and beyond. For one, the damn party wasn't even _inside_ , it was out on the grass. And truth be told, things did look very nice. Twinkling string light bulbs hung from one wooden pole to the next, adorning the corners of the party. Several tables were set up but what really got one's eyes was the clear dance floor in the middle. An old fashioned band was playing softly with the tune that only the 40s could produce. Everyone was dressed as if they were actually in the 40s.

"It looks nice," Chloe hummed with the sight she and Seren had before them.

"Yeah, Tony outdid himself," Seren nodded. "And he kept it subtle. I will give him his credit. I just hope we got the clothes right..."

Chloe did a double take at her own dress. "I mean..."

"I can confirm that they are indeed," Bucky came around to greet them but more specifically to get closer to Chloe to see what she had chosen to wear tonight. He wasn't disappointed in the least.

She wore an off the shoulder, sky-blue satin dress with a v-neckline. She chose no necklace and inadvertently (he presumed) showed off an exquisite view of her neck. Her long tresses of curls had somehow been tucked into shoulder-length do that he often used to see on the girls back then. A soft pink shade stained her plump lips and cheeks. She looked like an absolute doll.

"Really?" Chloe was unusually doubtful of her appearance. "Seren and I...we're not the most normal of girls..."

"You're telling me," they heard Seren say, "You have an alien tech piece in your head and I'm actually an alien."

Bucky couldn't help but laugh. "Well, nobody can tell a thing. But listen, the, uh, birthday boy was asking for you."

"Really?"

Chloe barely held in her snort at how _obvious_ Seren was being. If Bucky saw it too — unless he was suddenly blind — he didn't make it clear.

"He's inside," he nodded to the compound behind. "Must have missed him but I'm sure he's waiting for you."

"Uuh...I guess I should go find him..." Seren started backtracking. Her hands came to press against her dark emerald dress. "Chloe, do I look okay?"

" _Yes_ ," Chloe assured her. "Green is your color, now go!" With a beam, Seren hurried off. "She's hopeless," Chloe said afterwards with a heavy sigh. "One of the smartest woman I know and it vanishes all for a guy."

" _Well..._ " Bucky swayed his head, the smirk coming to his lips like an automatic instinct.

Chloe whacked him on the chest. "Don't even try it with me. If I remember correctly, _you_ were pining for _me_."

Bucky had two options and the first one involved wasting time bickering over something that was clearly true. Being in public, especially at a party with the rest of the team, meant their time together was extremely limited. They had to be very careful how they acted in front of others, they had to watch their words too and how loud they were about it.

"You look beautiful, doll." He wasn't going to waste any second.

Hearing his words had Chloe's faint pink cheeks turning brighter. "I got the appearance right, then?" She gently patted a tucked curl near her right ear. She didn't want to say it so bluntly that she tried her best to look like one of the girls Bucky would see in his time. Maybe he would think it was stupid or something.

"Absolutely," Bucky nodded. "If you'd been in the era, you would've had all the boys after you."

Chloe chuckled. "Really?"

"Look at you — who wouldn't want a dame like you?"

"I am so close to swooning right now," Chloe laughed out of sheer embarrassment. She brought a hand up to her mouth in hopes of keeping her laugh quieter. Her other hand came to rest on Bucky's arm, an act that she wouldn't consider dangerous. "Is this how you would get girls in the past? Because if so..." her face scrunched as the struggle to say the truth got to her, "...well done," she said through gritted teeth.

It was Bucky's turn to laugh. "I accept all congratulations."

"You jerk!" she whacked him on the arm. "Egotistical jerk!"

"Hey honey, I'm just taking the compliments you're sending my way."

Chloe shook her head at him. Of course he would say something like that, and of course she wouldn't mind it. "You look handsome tonight too." Because like her, he'd gone back through time with an old dark blue suit. Chloe truly _appreciated_ how nicely it fit that she had to remind herself to not stare so much. "God, this party is going to kill me. Thanks a lot, Steve."

Bucky smiled. "I don't think this is his fault."

"Mhm," Chloe folded her arms over her chest. "So, when's your birthday?"

"What?"

"Your birthday, when is it?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Because I want to know when I have to start planning your surprise party."

"Ah, I don't think so," Bucky shook his head. Unfortunately, he was long past celebrating his birthday now. He was genuinely happy that Steve could still celebrate his. "I'm not very much into it anymore."

"Not even for me?" Chloe pouted. "I promise I'd make it a fun party."

"Oh, I know that you would."

"C'mon, give me a clue or something."

"There's no point, Chloe. Don't waste the night trying to find the date."

Chloe huffed, clearly put out that he really wasn't going to tell her anything. She looked past him towards the dance floor. There were a few people dancing already, amongst them Sam — of course — and Wanda who had the unfortunate luck of being his partner. Chloe almost laughed. Her eyes then flickered back to Bucky.

"Ask me to dance," she said quietly.

Bucky looked over his shoulder to the dance floor. "Oh Chlo..."

"Don't tell me 'no' please," she touched his flesh arm and gave it a light squeeze.

"You know I don't want to say 'no'..." Bucky hated the disappointment that crossed her angelic features, "But it'd be too much display."

"C'mon it's just dancing. Look at Sam and Wanda over there," Chloe discreetly nodded at the pair who were having the time of their lives trying to figure out how to dance to the different tune. "No one would think twice when they saw us. I don't know how to dance your music but I sure would love to learn it from _you_."

Bucky smiled at her. He'd love to dance with her just like he used to in the old days. Holding her and swinging her to the music. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

Chloe sighed. She didn't want to argue, not when she knew that he was just being cautious. "Okay," she patted his arm. "I'll just...be around then." Bucky nodded. It was the best thing to do for them. She smiled briefly at him then walked off.

~ 0 ~

Tony Stark knew how to throw one party. Even though the rhythm of it was, at times, a bit too fast for Steve, he did make it clear that Tony had done a good job.

"I just can't dance like that," he told Bucky but it wasn't that big of a secret.

" _Well_..."

"Be quiet! I don't need the commentary; a simple nod will do." Steve exhaled deeply and gazed out to the dance floor. He had tried his hand at the swinging steps but it seemed like he needed some more practice.

"Ah, you'll be fine if just go out there again. I'm sure Dimples wouldn't mind another round," Bucky was barely able to hold his smirk in. "It's a good thing she's got some extra alien strength because stepped-on-toes from _you_ is a whole other world of pain."

"Ha, ha," Steve rolled his eyes but Bucky could see the flush in his best friend's face. He had _not_ planned on making a fool out of himself in front of Seren but, as usual, things didn't go his way.

"You'll be fine," Bucky clapped his shoulder. "I've only been here a few months and even _I_ know what's going on. Just go, apologize, and then ask her to dance again. Something tells me she'll say 'yes' again."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Steve turned to Bucky, his expression deadpanning. "I know there's something going on between you and Chloe."

Because he was a master at a straight face, anyone else would think they'd just made the wrong assumption. "Come off it, punk. Me and Winters?"

"Yeah, you and Winters," Steve mimicked his tone. "I'm not an idiot. First, you stop the sessions and you're even worse with the attitude. Then, you start the sessions again and you actually start _smiling_ again. Seriously, I'm not an idiot."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Steve studied his best friend's face but it seemed like something on the dance floor had caught his attention. "So, you're okay with the fact Stark is now dancing with Chloe?"

Straight-face begone. Bucky knew there was no way in hell Stark would ever try something with Chloe but he wasn't going to stand there and say he loved watching Chloe giggle as Stark twirled her around. She'd definitely found a dancing partner and it wasn't him.

"Ah, it's a good thing you're not involved with her because _that_ —" Steve pointed a finger at Chloe and Tony, "—would definitely piss me off."

"Go find Dimples or something," Bucky muttered and moved on himself. He didn't want to be angry, he didn't want to be upset at all but it was a mighty hard thing to do when Chloe looked like she was having the time of her life. If he'd said 'yes' to her earlier, that would've been _him_ making her giggle. He would've had the privilege of dancing with her. It was his unfortunate luck that Chloe didn't even realize he was watching them.

She was just having fun dancing.

"Is this how you dance with Pepper?" she couldn't stop laughing, even more so when Tony yanked her up to him.

"No, she would've smacked me for trying to spin her in the first place," he answered calmly.

"You're terrible!"

"But a good dancer." Tony had the audacity to smirk at her. "Admit it."

"You want to know something? This song isn't even from the 40s," she smiled sarcastically. "Last time I heard, _Fernando_ came from the 70s. You're about 30 years off."

"I like the song." And just for show, Tony had dipped her.

Chloe laughed loudly again. "Show off."

"Definitely." Tony pulled her back up. "But also a good dancer."

"Yeah, I guess so." Chloe wouldn't say that as much of a good dance he was, she would still rather dance with someone else...someone who was wan't all flesh.

~ 0 ~

As the night progressed, the party went on as planned. There were drinks served and the traditional birthday cake along with gifts here and there. The night was soon winding down but the music wasn't. Chloe, however, wasn't part of the dancing anymore. She'd moved away after dances with several people.

She'd come into the kitchen for a genuine break on her phone. She was all comfortable when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

Bucky let out a howl of laughter when she yelled with true fear. She whirled around with the angriest of faces. "Son of a bitch, it's you!"

" _Ooh_ , my girl's got a colorful vocabulary," he reached out for her arm only for her to smack him twice on the chest.

"That wasn't funny!" She breathed heavily until something struck her. "Did you say...am I...?" She tucked a curl that was beginning to loosen up on the bottom of her hair. "Am I your girl?"

Bucky straightened at the question. He didn't even realize he said that so casually, so...automatically. He supposed he'd believed that was true a while ago. And looking at Chloe's face, he couldn't bear to take it back, not even to calm the nerves that had risen in the last few seconds.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you," the words nervously tumbled from his mouth.

Chloe seemed surprised but thoroughly enlightened. "Y-yeah, I just didn't think you thought of me like that."

"What—"

"You've just always been deflective about...us, which I totally understand!" Chloe ended up exclaiming. "This thing's not very...normal." She swallowed hard. "I never want to place labels where they don't belong."

"You have to understand that if I'm deflective it's not because of you..."

"Oh, I know, it's not that big of a mystery to know that you still think with that mentality." Again, I'm not accusing you, I'm just...treading lightly."

"Being cautious," Bucky understood that perfectly but he hated that Chloe had to force herself to act that way because of him. "You know that you don't have to go through any of this."

Chloe sighed. "Bucky—"

"You really _don't_. Of all the things wrong with me, being blind isn't one of them. I see heads turning your way all the time."

"Oh c'mon—"

"I'm serious!" Bucky walked her up against the kitchen isle. His hands came to rest on her waist, keeping a tight grip around them so Chloe wouldn't try to get out of the situation (literally). "You know back in my day, there was always one girl that all the guys drooled over..."

"Oh, and let me guess, _you_ got her?" Chloe smirked even when he gave an understandable sway of his head. She laughed. "Of _course_!"

"I'm not making up excuses but she was _really_ pretty..."

"And you were the alpha male," Chloe rolled her eyes upon the smirk that crossed Bucky's lips. "Seriously..."

"She was the alpha woman," he shrugged. "And in this situation, in this era, _you_ are the alpha woman."

"Now we're getting somewhere I like," Chloe smirked just as proudly as Bucky had seconds ago.

He chuckled. "Of course you would, but the point is that you're the alpha woman which means all eyes are always set on you. Me, however, I'm nothing like that anymore. I have an endless baggage that you have no business being dragged into. You don't _need_ to be here, Chlo. You can be out there—" He pointed behind him in the party's direction, "—having fun."

"I did have fun," Chloe said with a casual shrug of her shoulders. "But I'd have more fun if you were out there with me. I don't care about this alpha nonsense. That's so last century. You're in _my_ time now, sweetheart." She dragged her hands from his chest to his neck. "And in my time most girls don't date a guy because they need to, they date because they _want_ to. Because they _like_ the feeling of doing things like this..." She pressed a feather touch kiss over his lips. "Among other things." Her body was pressed against when she went in for a rougher kiss. "So it's about time you stop thinking that I'm here because I need to be. You make me feel good. I want to make you feel good too."

"I do," Bucky gripped her arms, for one moment deliberating whether or not to step away from her. " _Really_ good sometimes, actually."

Chloe did not hesitate to smirk at him so openly. "Only 'sometimes'?"

He had to pick the girl with the mouth, didn't he? He sighed. "Chloe..."

She giggled. "I'm kidding...for the most part. C'mon Bucky, let's not do this. In all these words we've said, I'd like to stick to the parts where you said I was your girl and where I said that you make me feel good. Are those not the best parts?" She came to lean against his chest, leaving her arms draped over his shoulders. It was unclear if her expression had softened purposely or not. Either way, Bucky knew he was a goner.

"Yeah," he ultimately agreed with her. "I guess I just have to try harder to be someone you deserve."

"I think you're doing a fantastic job," she smiled up at him. "You've been working hard to recuperate but it's going to be a long process _so_...maybe taking one night off wouldn't hurt you." There went that soft look again. Maybe it _was_ done on purpose.

Either way, once again, Bucky lost. He took her chin with his fingers and placed a light kiss on her lips. He loved her smile afterwards. She should always be smiling. "How about we dance?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"

Bucky nodded. "I think it's about time I take my girl out for a dance."

Chloe barely contained her excitement and the only reason she eventually did was because she had a brand new idea. "I'd love to...but not out there."

"What? But I thought that's what you wanted—"

"Are you kidding me? My reputation is ruined after that dance with Tony! I'm going to have one very important conversation with Pepper tomorrow and it'll involve my deepest condolences for her feet!"

Bucky rolled his eyes at her. "You didn't look like the dancing was bad."

"Yeah alright, but I still don't want to dance out there."

"Then where...?"

Chloe grabbed her phone on the isle then took his hand. "My room."

"What—" She had already tried pulling him but, of course, that wasn't possible until he would give in. "Chloe, I don't get it. You were so upset earlier that I didn't want to dance out there and now _you_ don't want to dance outside?"

Chloe shrugged. "I change my mind a lot. I want you all to myself. Got a problem with that?"

"...no, I absolutely do not." It was at that moment that Bucky finally let her pull him away. "Hopefully nobody notices that we're gone."

Chloe snorted. She brought him into her room and walked up to her dresser. "Oh please, they're all too drunk."

"Steve can't get drunk."

"Yeah, but he's not exactly focusing on us tonight. Not while Seren's in that dress — you're welcome, by the way!"

Bucky raised an eyebrow at her. "You did that for us?"

Chloe was all too smug about it. "For _her,_ of course, but making sure _she_ looked good meant that Steve wouldn't pay any attention to the whereabouts of his best friend tonight."

Bucky stared at her long and hard while she went through her phone. "That is...sneaky...and attractive."

"Of course I am." She finally found what she was looking for on her phone and planted it on her dresser. "And so we'll have all the time in the world for dancing."

"I like the sound of that but I'm not sure there's enough space for a proper spin..."

Chloe chuckled. "It's alright, I'm kind of done with 40s music for now, but I'm still going to hold you for that dance later on. I'd rather show you some of my favorite songs..."

"And what would those be?"

Chloe pressed her finger to her phone and had ' _Everybody Wants to Rule the World_ ' playing. "1985," she swayed on her own for a few moments. "Everybody wants to Rule the World. Iconic."

"Never heard of it," Bucky's 'joke' was met with a deadpanning look that brought his laugh.

"You must have missed it while you were, uh, brainwashed." She held her hands out for him to take.

"Must have..." He grabbed her hands but slowly let his hands wander to her waist while Chloe's draped over his shoulders. "Different," he said after a moment of just swaying. "Everything's so different, even simple things like these."

Chloe nodded. "I'm sorry, but I promise to show you the best songs of the decades. And, if it makes you feel better, I wasn't even born when this song came out. I heard it way afterwards."

Bucky chuckled. "Yeah, it does make me feel better. The lyrics, though...they're a bit..."

"Serious? Yeah," Chloe shrugged. "It's all about power, what people desire..." She looped her arms around his neck. "What do you desire?"

For the first couple of minutes, Bucky said nothing. He stared at her with an unreadable expression. Ever since he had a more clear mind, he really didn't know what he wanted besides getting rid of everything Hydra packed into his head. It wasn't all that simple anymore. He wanted _more_. It wasn't a clear list of what he wanted but he knew — he was absolutely sure — that it would heavily involve Chloe.

The music sounded like it was louder with the silence that fell over them but Chloe didn't press for an answer. She quite liked the moment of simple dancing. While others often claimed she loved attention — which wasn't a complete lie — this wasn't a different type of attention she was receiving. It didn't make her feel like she was on display. Her insides felt like they would turn into putty if Bucky didn't stop any second now. Was this what an actual dance felt like? Your partner was supposed to look straight through you? Through your firkin _soul_?

"Whatever I desire, it'll include you," Bucky finally answered her. An immediate smile crossed Chloe's lips. He leaned closer and left a soft kiss on her forehead. His lips lingered over her skin when he asked, "What about you?"

"Mm, I'm not sure." But the way she smiled indicated the opposite.

"There's gotta be something. What is it?"

"Well, maybe there _is_ something."

"What is it?"

"I...want to know when your birthday is."

Bucky blamed himself for not seeing that one coming. Chloe giggled when he spun her around so that her back was against his chest. "Why so much interest in that?" he murmured against her ear. "Can't you go asking the computers or something?"

Chloe felt his arms gripping her waist. "Yeah, but I want to hear it from _you_. C'mon, are you afraid of the party I'd throw you? Because if it's that, rest assured that I would tailor it to _your_ likes."

"I just don't see the importance of it when I'm like 90 years old."

"Aw, you're cute..." Chloe reached up to pat his cheek, "You think you're only _ninety_ years old."

"I'm leaving it at that number!"

"So you have vanity issues. Not surprising since you used to be an alpha male."

" _Chloe_..."

Chloe started humming to the song and focusing more on swaying. For a minute, Bucky let it be. He couldn't get enough of their moment. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

Chloe tilted her head back and lazily smiled up at him. "Much better than dancing outside."

Just as she said that, the song ended but they continued to dance as if it hadn't. They didn't need the tunes.

"You were right," Bucky agreed. Simply unable to help himself, he kissed along her shoulder.

Chloe loved the sensation of his lips pressing against her skin. "I'm always right," she hummed. "Learn that. It'll save you a lot of arguments in the long run."

Bucky laughed. "Whatever you say, doll."

"And you should start..." Chloe wiggled her way from his arms to turn around, "...by telling me your birthday."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Let's just play another song, yeah? Show me what other music I've missed out on." Chloe smirked. Bucky got the faint feeling that she was up to something. "I have been trained to be a deadly assassin but that face—" he pointed at Chloe, "—actually scares me."

"I'm honored." Chloe stepped back and started undoing her tucked curls. "I'm getting that birthday date out of you."

Bucky was outright bemused. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, but enough of this 40s stuff. I look good but it's not my thing. I'm doing this _my_ way now." Chloe shook her head and released her long curls down her back. "21st century me."

"And what does that entail, exactly?" Bucky struggled not to laugh as she came up to him.

She hummed and tapped her fingers up his chest. "I'm rather convincing. Ask around."

"Oh, I know you are," Bucky nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

Chloe smirked at him. "Sit down." She backtracked him a couple steps towards the foot of her bed.

Bucky _had_ to laugh. She was so demanding and he loved it. "But—"

"Sit. Down. _Sergeant_ ," the sharp words flew from Chloe's mouth.

He probably shouldn't be getting that thrill but he was against ending it, so...he sat down. His eyes never left hers. "Now what?"

Chloe seemed to consider her options. Truth was, she was admiring him. She often did that while he wasn't looking. "I don't know, I'll come up with something." She pressed the sides of her dress down then promptly sat on his lap. "I'm _sure_ I'll come up with a good idea."

"Scary," Bucky bopped her nose.

Chloe put a hand over his cheek and leaned close. "Is it August?"

"No."

Chloe's lips were close enough to brush over Bucky's when she guessed again. "September?"

"Not even close," Bucky whispered to her. He barely held his smirk in at her clearly disgruntled face.

"October?"

"Nu-uh."

"I'm _going_ to figure it out," Chloe swore and this time Bucky chuckled. "I _will_."

"Yes you will, doll. You've got a few more months to go through." He kissed her lower lip. "My detective."

"You jerk," Chloe narrowed her eyes at him.

Bucky nuzzled his nose against her cheek. "I don't hear another month being asked about?"

Chloe felt his breath tickle her jaw. She let her eyes fall shut as his lips ghosted over her skin. She was _far_ too weak for him. "N-November?"

Bucky chuckled at her breathless guess. "Absolutely not."

"Aah, I really hate you."

Bucky pulled away enough to meet her gaze. Chloe waited for a smart-mouth response from him but all he did was stare at her for the longest time.

"...March," he whispered. Chloe's eyes were widening when he added, "You figure out the day."

Chloe beamed. "I can do that." She grabbed the sides of his face. "The 1st?"

"Nu-uh!"

Chloe scrunched her face. "I'm going to figure it out." She planted a kiss on him. "And for every day that I guess, I'm going to get a good kiss out of you, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Bucky smirked.

"The 2nd?"

"No."

Chloe dove for another kiss. Bucky held her tight to thoroughly kiss her. They were each going to have their own type of fun.

* * *

**A/N:** As I've said before that I'm trying to write up a story for these two (as well as a Steve x OC) and I'm so happy that I'm finally on their main story now.

**P.S** As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.


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